


Should We Fail

by Cora_knight_of_breath



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Sadstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 06:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/949757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cora_knight_of_breath/pseuds/Cora_knight_of_breath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Bro goes searching for the three missing children?<br/>And what lies in the secret fourth child's home?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Loss of Breath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PuppyLovesBunny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuppyLovesBunny/gifts).



Mr. Egbert smiled at the man in his home. He was about his age, but he was looking for a room to rent after his wife left him and took their kids. The man was currently looking at the pictures along various shelves in the living room. Mr. Egbert has simply gone to get a drink for the man, and now the man was engrossed in the pictures. They were all of a boy with black hair and lovely blue eyes. He was noticeably different from Mr. Egbert, but their bond was obvious in the younger photographs. The older ones seemed more distant, and the boy seemed desperate to leave the father.

"Who is this?" the man asked.

"Ah, you caught me," he said with a hearty laugh. "I love taking pictures with my son. Especially every year on his birthday." He sat down on the couch, placing the drinks down. "Or at least...I did. He vanished on his thirteenth birthday. I haven't seen him in four years."

"What happened?" the man questioned, though he knew it was likely wrong to ask.

Mr. Egbert shook his head. "I don't know. The police told me to give up. They said he was never returning. But...I can't give up hope, can I?" He gave a sigh. "The room I'm renting out...it's his. It's in perfect condition from the day he just vanished. But I know I have to move on. I have to help support myself as I get older. I have to accept the fate of my son. He's...he's dead."

"But that's ridiculous!" the man suddenly shouted, eyes wide. "He could be out there, struggling along just to see you again!"

A tear leaked down Mr. Egbert's cheek. "I wish I could agree. Sadly, four years is so long. And with the disappearances of the other two children on the same day? They likely are all gone...we'll never see them again." He heaved a sigh. "My son is dead."

"Mr. Egbert, I know we haven't known one another long, but your son, surely he is-"

"Please, Mr. Strider. That's enough." He looked at the blonde. "My son can't be alive. I've hoped long enough."

"No!" he shouted again. "That's like saying I should just accept that Dave's dead! I can't! I won't accept that he's gone! He's my brother, and I raised him! He's a tough fighter! Whatever took him, he'd fight back! Yes, it's been four years! But that doesn't mean shit to me! He's fighting back and I know it!"

Mr. Egbert's eyes went wide. "Mr. Strider..."

"Like hell if they're dead! They're out there, doing their best for everyone! And when they come back, they'll be okay! They'll be heroes and here to change the world for the better!"


	2. Not Enough Time

Bro had waited four years. He sat in the apartment, talking to Cal all he could to try and comfort himself. But slowly, over time, the puppet became this twisted thing. It felt like it was laughing at him. Laughing at his inability to protect his brother. No matter what he did, it would shut up. So, he left. He didn't even bother to move his stuff. He kept the apartment as it was and just vanished from the entire state. They all said, "He followed after his brother. Authorities worry whether or not the other guardians of the three children who vanished four years ago will follow his lead. We are still looking for a body, and suicide is guessed to be the cause."

But really...his landlord hardly remembered to ask him for the rent.

Why would the world care?

His first plan was to go to New York. There he met with Ms. Lalonde. 

"Rose? Oh, no." She laughed lightly. "She's gone. I don't think I'll ever see her again."

"But surely you hope for her return?"

"I've offered all I could," the blonde states. "I even gave up alcohol. She hasn't returned yet, so why should I think she would? I mean, I can't think of anything more to lure her out."

"Ms. Lalonde, it's been four years. The police gave up the search after a month. But what if we could do something to-"

"Enough!" she screamed suddenly, placing her hands on either side of her head. "Rose is gone! She's gone! I tried gettin her back, but it failed! She doesn't care anymore! She doesn't love me! All along all I wanted to do was make her happy! I wanted to be her perfect mother! She's not coming back, though! That's all their is to it!"

So, he left the woman alone. He made his next target Washington. The other child who had vanished was from Washington. It was a boy, by the name of John Egbert. His father was renting a room out, likely wishing to move on.

Sure enough, once they had met in person, he saw pictures all along the living room. There was a portrait of an elderly woman above the fireplace, and with her photo a single picture of the boy. This man clearly believed his son to be dead.

"Like hell if they're dead! They're out there, doing their best for everyone! And when they come back, they'll be okay! They'll be heroes and here to change the world for the better!"

He didn't even realize what he had shouted at the man. It all just flooded out. It was unlike him to lose his cool. But being told that his brother was dead?

He couldn't...

He would never accept that! Even in the darkest times!

"I'm going to find out what happened! So don't rent that room out just yet! Your boy may need it!"


	3. No Light

Every day was filled with darkness. It was as if her single source of light had been taken from her.

That source was her Rose.

Now she tried keeping a flower garden to clear her mind. And she drank less. She did anything she could to try and make the house clean and wizard-free.

But the flower garden was filled with roses. The lack of alcohol made the thoughts hit her full-force. The lack of wizards took away any comfort she had.

All she was doing was making herself suffer more.

And then that asshole showed up. He started to pull out all her inner thoughts. Who did he think he was?

"Enough! Rose is gone! She's gone! I tried gettin her back, but it failed! She doesn't care anymore! She doesn't love me! All along all I wanted to do was make her happy! I wanted to be her perfect mother! She's not coming back, though! That's all their is to it!"

She didn't want to hope anymore. Hoping hurt. Hoping just led to her crying herself to sleep. She hated hope. She hated hope more than anything. All it did was take away what she wanted.

"I once loved hope," she whispered quietly to herself as she lay in bed, numb. "Hope shattered my heart. It went to others, having no interest in me. Why should I love hope when the void is the only thing that stays with me? That void that stays with me and with my heart. It's always there. It's sucking away everything...taking away my life. I'm hopeless. I don't want hope anymore. All I want is the void. The void is my home. It's all I have left." 

She sobbed loudly into her pillow. "I just want to forget everything. Why won't the void take my mind? Why does it take my hope, heart, and life, but not my mind? It's not fair!"

She screamed loudly, begging a nonexistent void to swallow up all her memories of Rose. The alcohol was once her void. It made her void of pain. Why did she ever give it up? It was obviously not going to bring Rose back.

"I want my baby girl back!" she screamed. "I want my Rose! I want my light! I'm tired of the void! It's dark and lonely and I'm scared! I want my baby!"

She screamed louder, trying hard to get someone to hear. But she was alone. Rose had been the only one there for her. She lived with no one but her daughter. No one was ever there but Rose.

And now...no one was there but her.

"Why don't I have anyone to comfort me when I have nightmares?" she whispered quietly. "Why is it only me helping others? I want to be the one helped for once. I'm tired of being the strong one...I hate it..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I referenced the Alpha universe with the hole "hope, void, life, heart" thing.  
> But more than anything, "hope."  
> Because a lot of people forget that Roxy liked Jake, but she gave him up for her friends.


	4. Without Space for Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Fourth Child vanished.  
> But none knew.

On a forgotten island, a temple sat. Bro had discovered the temple when researching strange cultures and cults. It seemed to center around frogs.

Apparently the island was home to a rich man and his granddaughter. No one knew what happened to them. They just vanished from the world. They were completely forgotten.

So, now Bro was there to investigate. He felt there was something odd about another vanishing family. Sure, this one features the guardian vanishing as well, but it was the only lead Bro had.

"You really think this will help us find the children, Mr. Strider?" asked Mr. Egbert.

"For the millionth time, it's just Bro. And I'm not sure. It's the only lead I have."

So, they got off the boat and headed straight to the place that the family once called home. The man, according to Bro's research, was named Jake Harley. His granddaughter was Jade. The research had brought a bit of pain to his heart, but he had no idea why. He had never met the man before, nor his granddaughter. Why did he feel as though they had?

The pictures in the large home where interesting indeed. The family relations were confusing.

"Mr. Strider, I think I found the guardian."

Bro went down the stairs to where he heard Mr. Egbert's voice. Surely enough, there was the stuffed dead body of the world-renowned Jake Harley.

"So, what of his granddaughter?" he asked.

"All signs of life here are gone," Mr. Egbert noted. 

"I was up in her room," Bro stated. "It's a fuckin mess. Seems like the last place anyone would be able to navigate. Anyway, I found some computer shit. Last entries were all on April 13, 2009."

"The day John vanished," Mr. Egbert said, eyes wide.

"Not just him, but Dave and the Lalonde kid too."

"You mean to say they all vanished together?"

"And through the same cause. We have to find them. Or at least find a way to undo all this shit."

So, the two of them set out to the temple. It was definitely about frogs. Everywhere they looked, there were odd pictures of frogs. The art seemed to suggest that the universe itself was a frog. Bro assumed he was just reading it wrong, though.

"Mr. Strider, look at this!"

Bro rushed over, looking at the paintings on the walls. They seemed to talk of a game played by twelve horned human-like creatures. The game resulted in the death of one world, but the birth of Earth. The twelve trolls were suppoed to rule over as gods, but a demon rose up and forced them into hiding. So, the Earth never reached its full potential. It would forever be sickly unable to do as it was born to.

So, four children were chosen. One of light, one of time, one of space, and one of breath. These four would play the game and end their world, creating a new one that they would rule over with the trolls.

There was more to the story, but it was all scratched out. Only some pieces were visible. One stuck out a lot to Bro. It was of a puppet, worshipped as a god by some weird green creature. This puppet served as the guide, but it was constantly thrown around. People assumed it to be a simple puppet, but it ended up pulling the strings of everyone, ironically enough.

"That little shit," he whispered. "He _was_ laughing at me."

"What did you say?" 

"This story on the walls...I think the kids found out and went to try and fulfill it."

"What?"

"But from the scratched up parts, I can't figure out what's supposed to happen."

"That's ludi-"

"The pieces play together! Everything plays together! We have to accept it! They really are trying to play the roles of heroes! But they don't realize that, in the process, our world is dying! We're all going to die because of it."

"Mr. Stri-"

"It's Bro. Bro Strider. And right now my lil bro needs help. It's time we all gather and help."


	5. Entering the Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And suddenly everything goes full-circle.

Bro let out a sigh, looking at Ms. Lalonde.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"I want to see my baby girl again," was her only response.

He gave a small nod and pressed the button on the flower in the temple. The game popped up and initiated itself, taking them within. 

Bro believed he would serve to protect his brother.

Mr. Egbert thought he would see his son again.

Ms. Lalonde though all her problems would fade.

Sadly, they learned the hard way that life will never let you have your dreams. It takes them as far from you as it can. It makes you reach and reach until your arms feel like they will rip. You suffer into despair until you are swallowed whole. And then it swallows you again.

Bro did nothing to protect his brother. All he did was die.

Mr. Egbert never saw the son he missed so much. He was killed, leaving his son to find his corpse.

Ms. Lalonde was finally experiencing fading problems. Then the man who made them fade died before her eyes, and she followed suit.

They never got their wishes. 

_Because life is cruel._

Without despair, there can be no hope. Without hope, there can be no despair.

They must balance out.

And if they don't?

An excess of hope results in an excess of despair. An excess of despiar results in an excess of hope.

When the light seems almost swallowed by the void, all its space gone with despair, hope will form. Never lose heart, for in time breath will come anew and refresh life. 

It just takes patience...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...yeah. This actually ended up being my explanation of the parents being there.  
> Even though they were technically there from the start.
> 
> Also, remind me never to listen to Madoka Magica music while writing.


End file.
